AzureWolf

Just for clarification, when I say Gundam, I mean mecha shows in general. However, since Gundam is the most prominent mecha running, I'm going to focus on that. [quote]Why isn't EVA a mecha show? If the story is not focus on mecha, then, most of Yoshiyuki Tomino's works are not mecha. Take Mobile Suit Gundam as an example. If mecha is the focus of the story, why is MSG still the most popular Gundam today worldwide? When mecha is the focus, people will simply look for newer, flashy, and better looking mecha. I am sure the mechas from MSG, which is 25 years old next year, look old. So, what is keeping the fans here? The characters. When people hear about mecha show, they think it is about robot fighting each other. That is not true most of the time. Many mecha shows have great characters, plots and theme. Also, do you consider Patlabor, Macross and Magic Knight Rayearth mecha show?[/quote] The reason EVA is not a mecha show is because the story is not dependent on the times & technology (consider times & tech to be [I]very[/I] interdependent). The technology is a crucial aspect to war, and is what ultimately defines the Gundam universe, setting it apart from other animes. You actually ask yourself, "Why did they pick this time for this series?" when watching a new Gundam show, and the reasoning becomes apparent as you progress through the series. Take Stardust Memory, where all the characters' lives revolved and focused on Gundams and their technology. Kou (who challenges Shinji for the title of "biggest loser/whiner in anime" but fails) is so obsessed with having the best Gundam, and it's this fact that makes his side "win" the war (yeah, I know, but let's keep things spoiler-free). It's a re-enactment of war, just with a cooler setting. What makes it story-worthy is the fact that you get to see the story of the people in the cockpit - those fighting the war - seeing what drives them. It's an interesting conflict and struggle, where, after watching several different gundam series, you realize there's no "right" side, giving a greater theme that nicely spans several series. In short, you get to look at one part of a great war when watching a Gundam series. However, they could have took another direction and showed another flank or group, and you would end up with another story. It's a war: the story of a handful of people within it is just the sweetener. Now EVA on the other hand ([B]correct me if I'm wrong![/B]), doesn't have a group of people who's story is dependent on the EVAs and the angels. As Metatron said, it was about Shinji and how he reacted to the world. If I'm understanding the general concensus, the EVAs and angels really didn't affect or influence the lives of the people involved, but only only helped to exponentially express Shinji's reaction to the world. Oh, and maladjusted, a large fanbase does not mean a quality show/series/whatever. I think just mentioning DBZ as one of many large fanbased things is good enough to make my point. ;) As for EVA, I didn't like it, but I honestly can't remember why (Shinji was part it, though). It's been so long, and shows that you didn't like (for whatever reason), you tend to forget, while having a good memory of the ones you liked. So, yeah, let's not get into me hating EVA, but just on it being not the greatest.

Wow, I like the little shape you made with your icons, PoisonTongue. Haha, did you make that shape specifically for that background? Kinetic's background is freakin' awesome. I just don't like those faces there. I see you REALLY like the quick launch bar. I like how everything works well together to make a neat theme. Syk, love the background. :) Here's my desktop. Haha, I swear, I'm working on a wallpaper of my own, but they are much harder to make than banners! Until then, I mooch off of the real artists. :D Oh, and I reduced the size to 800x600 (I use 1024x760). So, what's the criteria for an icon to make it to your desktop? For me, it's programs I use frequently, but do not have set to open automatically on startup (with the exception of Download Accelerator: I just like it's icon :sweat: ). I asked this question before in the previous thread, but few (or no) people answered it. Figure I'll give it a shot again. I think icons are cool, but that little shortcut arrow really kills it. So, I use TweakUI to get rid of those pests (free d/l from download.com, if anyone is wondering). Very nice program.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by maladjusted [/i] [B][size=1] Shinji does has a self-ideology, really. He thinks he's scum, trash, invisible. In Hideaki Anno's own words, he states: [i]"A cowardly young man who feels that his father has abandoned him, and he has convinced himself that he is a completely unnecessary person, so much so that he cannot even commit suicide."[/i] That's Shinji's concept of himself, and what he is to the world around him. But after that, yes, Shinji did abandon the his way of understanding himself, only thinking that he was useless and there was no point to understanding himself. I'm not an expert or anything, but that's a description of a depressed person, and there's a lot of them out there.[/size] [/B][/QUOTE] That's only because the ones who could commit suicide did! :bellylol: Ok, bad joke... How can someone who breathes, eats, moves, jumps, runs, and [I]lives[/I] think that he/she can't kill him/herself? It just doesn't make sense. I bet Mr. Hideaki Anno was just saying the suicide part to emphasize the [I]degree[/I] of Shinji's state, without any literal sense. I doubt Shinji wants to die, or else he would have done so. Also, I [I]REALLY[/I] doubt that's how your average depressed person thinks. Where have you seen or heard of these types of suicidal, yet mentally incapable and contradictory persons? Certainly not in a competent person, which Shinji is (meaning he has no mental ailments hindering him). [quote][B][size=1]Shinji also does not 'act on whims'. I don't know where you got that from the series, but he doesn't. There is nothing noteworthy about Shinji, because he is neither brave nor courageous when we first see him, and the only thought that forced Shinji to pilot the Eva-o1 was 'I must not run away'. He thinks he is nothing to the world, but he also thinks well of himself when Gendo praises him for the job he did when killing and angel and when his Sync ratio was going up at an impressive speed. He is, in fact, realistic.[/size][/B] [/quote] Yeah, my mistake. I meant with [I]respect to thought[/I], Shinji is a paper in the breeze. He's swayed or changed by the simplest things. You provide an example right there, with Gendo (haha, I don't even know who that is! It's been so long). Being so easy to sway, especially at Shinji's age, is really uncommon. By mid-teens, you acquire and gain a mental build that is almost immovable - [I]that's[/I] realistic. [quote][B][size=1]At first glance, Evangelion's characters' personalities look cliche. One silent, one arrogant, one depressed, one carefree, one super-smart, and one evil. I mean, how many other animes follow that line of personalities? The only originality you get under those personalities in Evangelion is their real mental status and their past lives, which Anno did a great job depicting. So an insane mother who tried to kill her daughter and thousands of clones isn't exactly the most realistic thing you can witness, but it's better than other animes. [/size][/B][/quote] I never liked this idea that behaviors that are realistic (I'm not talking about Shinji) are from this-or-that anime/show/series. Those showed ripped those personalities from the real world, and they should not be accredited with their creation. The real challenge of a supposedly "cliched" character is defining their uniqueness: those things that make them an individual. Rei didn't even have a personality or a point, but, again, that's what I can recall after (over) 7 years' time. As for Asuka, she fails as a source of any interest by what I mentioned/added in a previous post. Just for a clarification, I'm not trying to argue that NGE is unoriginal - no sir, it's wholly original. What I'm trying to convince others is NGE has little realism. As you've pointed out in your last sentence, originality definately does not imply realism. Additionally, I'm not trying to fight over NGE's place as a milestone in anime. However, it also goes that being a milestone (or original) does not imply quality. Those are the two places where ([B]I think[/B]) Evangelion misses: quality and realism.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Dagger IX1 [/i] [B]Question: I was under the impression that anime DVDs cost more than regular DVDs due to the expenses involved in creating a (hopefully) decent dub track. Does this hold true? ~Dagger~ [/B][/QUOTE] Hmm... That's a good point. I didn't think about that. Still, that doesn't explain anime series that air on TV, and it doesn't explain why VHS versions used to be cheaper ("used to" because they aren't really made anymore).

It's rare to find a hardcore/professional gamer who prefers the PC to consoles, mind you. Haha, don't think I ever met one! Anyway, I think that consoles were always better for multiplayer for the sole reason that you are there with the rest of the players. It's a great social thing going, where someone's always bad-mouthing someone else. It's all in good fun when you have the right friends, and all-too comedic when something silly happens. Yeah, having internet support is great, but it'll never recreate that great "human interaction." For example, when someone does something totally unexpected or outright stupid, you would just laugh at the person, and it would be a good time for all. Online, however, you just think, "wtf?! What's that idiot thinking?" So, yeah, the major fun factor of multiplayer comes from something that ironically does not immerse you in the world of gaming.

I think the Escaflowne banner is awesome. It just has a very active and lively feel to it, but, at the same time, the girl is just laying there. The passing of standing time, haha! The Rahxephon banner's nice, but against the standard you've made for yourself, it's really lacking. Haha, I mean, this banner just can't compare with the other ones. It's awesome that you always try something new (a trick or style) in your banners, but this one doesn't fly, IMO. On the other hand, I didn't appreciate your Hellsing banner until I saw the series, so it might just be that you can't appreciate the banner until you've seen the series.

I'm just uploading the original version for comparison. Anyway, here's the new version with the recommended fixes: [IMG]http://home.earthlink.net/~azurwolf/images/Azure-Heroes-Banner.jpg[/IMG] I think that was the best method of blending the Naruto characters, because I didn't want just a vague outline, nor a lack of any blend between the background and the characters. So, is everything ok with this version, or did i mess up anything (or not properly fix a problem)? [quote]I'm curious as to what it says, and I agree with Dagger's advice about the, er, glowing girl, she doesn't quite fit in with her border. I realized why it looks kind of strange to me -- the three Naruto characters and the leftmost girl are 2D, while the other two characters are 3D. That strikes me as a little odd.[/quote] Yeah, I made her glow because I extracted her pretty badly, but I guess quick fixes don't work. Yeah, I did a better extraction this time. Haha, what does it say? What else but "AzureWolf?" :D My friend who is taking Japanese made it for me, along with the two other possible way to write AzureWolf. I think Japanese letters look cool, and it puts his Japanese writing skills to good use. :bellylol: Rats, is it that weird-looking with the 3D characters? I thought they fit in well. If anyone has a suggestion on how to make them mix well together, that would be grand. Thanks again for all comments and feedback!

Whoa, the artist being artistic. Haha, very nice. Somehow, I can relate to this poem, but I can't put my finger on it... I like how you mention how this short-lasting friendship was able to make you a stronger and better person. Yes, that entire second verse is well-done. Anyway, I think the third verse does a better job of closing the poem and leaving that little shred of hope than that last verse. Particularly, these two lines just don't seem to work: [quote]Can you say you?ll always be there for me? I hope you can, once and for all, because[/quote] I mean, that person isn't there right now, so it seems akward that you'd make a comment like that. Overall, it's really beautiful. Plus, any poem that uses "forevermore" is good in my book. :) Good job.

Eh... You are way too general, you know? There's no depth to these poems because of how straightforward they are. It seems to be more like comments than just a poem. The only thing forcing into a poem is the rhyming. Some parts don't really make that much sense either. I don't even understand even one line "Sorrow's Uplifting." Overall, try to work on making the reader think a little more. You can tell more in a few lines by saying things indirectly.

Well, just to start, a small typo (I thought I saw another one, but that was it): [quote]The woman makes a small sound [B]as[/B] dismay as she recognizes the second man beyond any shadow of doubt.[/quote] Anyway, moving on to the overall work, I think it does an awesome job of pulling the reader in, especially the way you open it. Isn't this method called [I]in medias res[/I] or something? You know, opening in the middle. But that's not what really pulls you in. It's just how you present the setting and the atmosphere. I agree with you that everything very immersive until J-----'s entrance (those names are very distracting, btw, and I first thought someone was saying a name, but then just drowned out at the end). I figure the problem lies in how artificial J----- and the other guy feel with respect to the rest of the environment. Here, you've got everything setup, with the tone, the mood, and even the character is clear, but then J----- steps in and immediately takes action. There's no details about him, and his entrance just isn't suspenseful enough because of that. Might want to work on the two new characters' profiles to spice things up. Additonally, it's just utter confusion when J----- steps in because of the change of style. I think the shift was just too sudden or something. Did I make any sense? Haha, I've meaning to read this piece for a while, especially with the "short" comment at the top - thought I couldn't lose. Man, talk about false advertising! That was long! Still, the opening might have made me a convert into appreciating long posts... ... ... Nah, but it was a nice first impression. :)

I have a like/hate affinity for this work. I thing you've got great CG skills, but your drawing skills may need some work. In other words, I think it's well-colored, but the stock picture leaves a lot of room for improvement.

[quote]Just the fact that one grew up in a harsh enviroment doesn't mean one should be strong and self-confident. Lack of development throughout puberty is not uncommon, for one thing. It's just one of Shinji's many problems. Whatever, it's your opinion, but I think it makes it more realistic. At least, it's very original. In all the other animes before Evangelion, the hero is usually outgoing.[/quote] Haha, just for future reference, you don't need to keep on saying what's an opinion and what's a fact. Within a discussion, it's differentiated by how you announce the statement. If it's vague, that's when you need to say "IMO" or "it's clear that." What else am I going to present but my opinion within a discussion? Thought I'd just point that out because - I don't know - it sounded rude when you said, "that's your opinion." Haha, maybe it's just me. Anyway, lack of [I]mental[/I] development during puberty may be uncommon, but I wasn't talking about just puberty. Puberty is primarily a physical change, not a psychological one. I'm saying that within the many years of his existence, it's highly unlikely to have any kind of fundamental and "self" ideology. Shinji basically has no ideology whatsoever, and that's REALLY uncommon at his age, regardless of where you are from. Such a "on a whim" mental behavior is not very intriguing for me, so I didn't find anything realistic nor noteworthy within Shinji.

That's a good point, duorocks17. Certainly, technology has a greater impact on animation (i.e., cartoon animation) than one would suspect. That's a surprising point, and I bet no one in the 80s saw technology influencing something such as hand-drawn art. [quote]Maybe the face of anime doesn't change, maybe anime has many faces? Maybe all the different genres have their own face? Just a thought.[/quote] No, I can't say that would be the case - at least not for me. There doesn't seem to be a definitive face for anime in any sense, you know? I could see if you meant that there were different faces of anime for different aspects or kinds of anime, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I can't say I have some default image when someone says, "Action anime," or "Romance anime," etc.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by sweetreyes [/i] [B][COLOR=royalblue][SIZE=1] I have to agree with you personally on that. Now to look at the anime series that are on DVD the extras dont really make it for me they just arent that important. Besides I get to see the different pictures they have in the galleries. As forwad as Anime movies... then a few extras would be good. Its more so due to the fact of getting behind the scenes footage. Which is something I defientely love on DVD's so to have the same on an Anime DVD would be a bit enriching. You know seeing the voice actors and such or everny seeing the inspiration for a certain movie. If the DVD's dont have the extras it doesnt kill me......[/SIZE][/COLOR] [/B][/QUOTE] Haha, of course the primary reason for buying a DVD is for the anime/movie/whatever. I'm just pointing out that other DVDs with the same price (or sometimes even less) have more extras than your general anime does. That means someone's getting ripped off. If the DVD only contains the show you are getting, then it should be equivalent to the price of its VHS version (when they used to be popular, haha), if not less. DVDs are cheaper to produce (unless that only goes for CDs...), so they justify the heightened price tag by including bonuses. I could understand the high cost of DVDs when they were new, but not in today's commercial market, where DVDs are a commonality in the market and household.

Sorry for beating a dead horse, but Q. Asuka replied with something that bothered me: [quote]Well, it does make it more realistic simply because Shinji doesn't have that stupid "I'm a hero, I can do this, as long as we stick together we'll accomplish anything!" attitude. He's just such a quitter and he never wants to go through with anything, never wants to take one for the team. He's selfish, he's a crybaby, and he's a young adult. Heh, such fun times.[/quote] :therock: I just need some clarification on how Shinji being a crybaby makes the anime more realistic. First off, if you consider the environment Shinji grew up in, it's very contradictory to think that he would be a crybaby. That shows a lack of development throughout essential growing years, which is very uncommon. Haha, I can't say I've ever met a young adult who wasn't competent and solid. In fact, Shinji should have had some type of foundation for thought and people interaction by his age. It's really quite unreal. I do, however, agree with the idea that NGE is not a mecha anime, since the focal point and significance hardly falls on the EVAs. The only important purpose the EVAs served were an indirect characterization of the trio at certain points in the anime. As for trying to leave out the ending when considering the series, there's something to be said about being able to finish what you started. I may have not liked most of EVA, but the ending was worse than the rest of the series. If you cannot support the fall of action with a solid, supportive, and most importantly, [B]complete[/B] ending, the story you built and developed will come crashing down. I have to say that EVA and Escaflowne suffer from this problem. I said enough about Shinji, haha. However, I think pointing out the failings of the other two primary characters needs to be addressed. Rei just bores you, being completely passive and inactive. You knew from day-one that [spoiler]she wasn't going to get hitched with the sucker[/spoiler] at the end. Her lack of character may have a reason, but I don't think she had a reason to be there in the first place. Secondly, Asuka tries to take one of the hardest roles in any story: the strong, firm, independent female. Unfortunately, this task is a fine line, and she slips over to being just plain b****y. Few female characters can boast being strong and independent without being b****y. Asuka, unfortunately, is not one of them. Haha, yeah, I have to go with Solo on this one too! I loved Outlaw Star because of how (relatively) simple and amiable everything was. EDIT: Just so everyone knows, I'm going on what I remember when I watched EVA, which was in eigth grade (or before that). Also, no offense intended about the Asuka thing. I couldn't think of a better way to say it. :sweat:

[quote]Neon genesis evangelion is the greatest anime for me because it has this mood that is different from the other anme its not bias in the way that the hero Shinji Ikari is not that strong and unbeatable and it s not all about beating the hell out of the bad guy it has this story for each character so i think thats what makes it realistic in some point of view[/quote] Realistic?! You are joking, right? Here's the story of NGE in a nutshell: [B][I]three kids going through puberty determine the fate of the world [spoiler]- we're all freakin' screwed[/spoiler][/I][/B]. By episode 2, I knew that this Shinji "hero" should be dead. God knows how he made it to his teens with that attitude. I'm guessing it just can't compare with today's standard, and therefore was just a pseudo-classic. On the other hand, I did watch it a long time ago (maybe when I was in 8th grade?), so I really am not familiar with it anymore. Still, it sucked then, and it probably would suck now: I haven't heard anything to make me believe the contrary.

Yeah, you are right James, especially since it is titled .hack//SIGN and not Project .hack or .hack//GENERAL. :D However, it's getting harder and harder to discuss the validity and significance of the SIGN anime without incorporating video game story elements. It's great that you allow .hack//LIMINALITY to be discussed there, but again, there's a constraint because you just have to merge points of the game and anime to make sense of it all. Also, consider the general nature of the video gaming forums. I can't recall any gaming thread about a video game's story. .hack's core is story (unfortunately, at the cost of gameplay), but the types of discussions that go on in the video game forums consist of gameplay and more "interactive" elements. Besides, the .hack forum has been pretty quiet/inactive lately. This might breathe new life into it, you know?

With comparison to all the other events within this nation's history, along with just the overall simplicity of its origin, no, it's not important. In fact, it's pretty much pointless, I'd say. However, we get out of school because of it, so don't complain and ruin it for the rest of us. ;)

[size=1]Yeah, I know, I know, but I'm not a mod.[/size] Anyway, of course you get more characters in later games. Haha, there's not much difference etween the games in the first place, so they have to make variations where they can. And, as for the second question: [spoiler]one character already has[/spoiler]. Besides that, to my knowledge, none of the core characters join you, but some secondary ones do.

Your latest banner begs the question, "Why pink?" Also, the gradient looks like it has some diffusion, which, on a JPEG/JPG, is hardly necessary. Besides that, awesome font and border! :D

Your latest one and the SSX3 one are my favorites. They are both vibrant and rich in color, but have a simple, singular focus. It's a clever setup. The border's style in general is very fitting (especially for these boards, haha), and I think the color doesn't really hold much significance (I think silver fits better with OB anyway). However, I can see that silver would conflict with the latest banner in that a colorless/grey shade wouldn't accentuate the colorful enclosure.

wiccansamurai's banner and avi set just made something click in my head and realize something. Do you think anime has a dynamic or static face? What I mean is that there are always icons to certain genres. Let's see... Like, with respect to video games, it definately holds a static face, with icons such as Mario, Link, and Sonic being permanent etchings and symbols of video gaming in general. Also, I might add that fighting is always associated first and foremost to Street Fighter (how many times have you told someone to do a "Ha-doo-ken" to pull off a move in another game?). So, I'm talking about anything that can immediately be associated with a subject; it triggers that topic. However, I don't think that's the case for anime. I may have not seen all the "must-watch" animes, but I can immediately recognize certain icons from certain animes. Serial Experiments Lain (sp?) is one example: I've never seen the anime, but I can see the main character a mile away, and she just seems to trigger the thought of "anime." Over the years, though, the face of anime always seems to change. There's always some new faces that become the symbol/representation for anime. Lain, Evangelion, and Cowboy Bebop seem to be losing ground, and newer anime icons are replacing them. Before even them, core icons seemed to be DBZ and Gundams. I bet there were icons before even that (and in between what I mentioned), but you get my point. So, is there a universal, static "face of anime," or does it always seem to shift to the latest "animes of the month?"

Actually, I love the first poem, which is every bit as good as the other one (although-yeah, the second one is more polished). In the first verse, though, pronouncing that the rose is red is rather redundant. If you mean that the rose is markedly red, then I recommend saying it explicitly (i.e., "it's petals all-too red"). Also, I hope that the last sentence in the entire poem has "your" and not "you." Betting it was a typo. :) Overall, it's a very beautiful poem. On a personal note, I've never appreciated associating red with romantic love, but that's just me. I think the poetic symbolism, along with the feeling, just doesn't coincide a "red" tint in any way, but instead points towards a less-associated color. The second poem is really professional, although I'm not sure why. You do have that cliched "when I'm not with you" phrase, but you personalize it with that unexpectedly true second verse ("when I'm with you"). On the whole, though, I think these lines could be better worded: I can't think It seems so strange Not being with you I'm not saying I could phrase them any better, but it just feels like there's a better way to declare those meanings.

I really like the reddish-gradient-shade-thing you used in this banner. The black on the left is a little unexpected, and, with some knowledge of Sonic in 3D (play SA 1 and 2), aren't you missing the core three characters (Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles)? Besides the black, everything is well-done. I like how there are profile pics of the "thinking" characters, and then you have the absent-minded individual slightly in the background, like he didn't know how to take a picture. The font fits really well with the entire theme, btw. :)

[I]Absolutely[/I] no clue on what's what, so excuse me for any errors. I really like this nifty style, where you've got a profile shot going and then an "ambient" picture to go alongside it (i.e., their actions/poses/expressions are something you would expect to see some passerby doing on the street). What's really the awesome "wacha!" is that symbolic representation behind it all. I'm wondering why the first picture is lacking this little addition?